Ordinary People
by xin79
Summary: Maybe she will stay, maybe he will leave, maybe they will survive. But no matter what, they are just ordinary people. Mentions of Kalinda and Alicia


Kalinda watched intently from a far as the messenger came in, holding a bouquet of long stemmed red roses. The paralegals and the assistants swooning over the said flower and it's would be receiver. She never really understood the appeal of flowers but the person beside her did.

"Who do you think it came from?" Alicia asked, closing the manila folder she was reading a few seconds ago. Of course Kalinda knew who sent the flowers and in that instant, the investigator in her couldn't help but look a few offices down the hall. She can see right through his facade. The casual glance as the messenger entered the office right across from his. Kalinda can see the slight change in his demeanour as he watched from a far the exchange. He stood a little bit taller, a little more self assured. She knew it was none of her business, but the two of them intrigued her. They think they were being discrete, but the truth was, it's very palpable.

The messenger left; the show over as each of the employees returned to their previous posts, each person wondering who the lucky and dumbfounded guy was.

"Is she seeing anybody?" Alicia again asked. Kalinda merely turned around, understanding that for now, all she could do is to continue to observe. After all, she was discrete in her dealings. Alicia, seeming to get that the investigator won't give her a free scoop, followed closely behind her as they both continued to study their case.

After a few minutes of mulling over if he should go in or not, Will finally made his decision. Squaring his shoulders a bit, he grabbed a piece of folder in his hand before he made the walk right across his office. He was desperately trying not to smile but he couldn't. Not when he saw the way she reacted.

"They're beautiful." He said, walking towards the center of the room where the red roses were carefully nestled on the table. "Who is it from?"

Diane looked at him, the glint in her eyes so evident.

"Some guy who thinks he is being really cute." She said, pursing her lips a bit as the words left her mouth. Will, seeming to enjoy the reply walked even further, now leaning over the edge of the table. She turned towards him and both of them locked eyes.

"You got to admit, they are beautiful. I heard these are rare this time of year. " Will said, touching the petals of the flower.

"Since when did you become a seasoned florist?" She replied, watching his moves intently. He was trying not to make this a big deal but both of them knew he was treading in a very fine line.

"I'm not. I'm just a guy who knows the value of flowers, that's all." This time, he moved a little bit closer, invading her personal space a little more. He could see her reaction. She swallowed a bit as he leaned a little more. Not enough that it would surely cause them to be the talk of the office for the rest of the day but close enough that his actions could be mistaken for something else.

"See you at 8 pm." He said as he stood up. Not even looking back. He left her office, feeling triumphant. For the rest of the morning, they didn't see each other. Both were too engrossed in their respective cases to even bother thinking what the other one was doing. But that changed the moment they had the conference.

"I told you, he is guilty."

"And don't you think he deserves a fair shot of a good representation as well."

"But he is guilty Will." She said, getting angrier with each passing moment.

"Oh come on Diane." Will began, using the patronizing tone she hated so much. "Quit the righteous act, we both know you want this case just as much as I do."

The moment those words left his mouth, he knew there was no going back. He could see that she was ready to slap him but at that moment, he didn't care.

"Since you're too keen on getting the case, why don't you represent him?"

"I would but he is asking for you." Will tried again, now both of them taking a stance from the opposite ends of the table.

"I said no Will." She said with just as much gusto as she had when they had this talk a few days ago. This infuriated him more. In a true Will Gardner form, he walked out.

"Typical." Diane muttered under her breath as she slumped down in her seat. Now dinner was out of the option and she was no longer in the mood to play nice with him. Whatever the charm of the flowers was, it was no longer of value.

The office was so quiet, the last employee having left twenty minutes ago. She wasn't technically sure what she was still doing there but the sound of a nice long bath was quiet appealing as of the moment. She gathered her things including a few folders which she intended to read later.

As she turned around to close her office door, the unmistakable presence of someone watching overcame her. Slowly turning around, she came face to face with him. His manner quite opposite than what it was a few hours ago. It might be the silence in the room that made both of them stay where they were. She looked at him and he looked at her. Will has his hands on his pocket. He wasn't entirely sure if he should go near her or not, so instead, he remained where he was.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly, still unsure of what is about to come. Diane could be so hard to read at times and no matter how many years he had known her, times like this made him wonder if he really knew her well. She looked at him, not exactly sure how she should feel.

She was certainly no longer angry, but there was a silent thought at the back of her head that was growing louder and louder by each passing second.

"What are we doing Will?" She asked, her vulnerability seeping through her voice. Somehow, Will knew she wasn't talking about the screaming match they had earlier, nor was she talking about the flowers and dinner.

Will looks at her intently, not sure on how to respond. He imagined this conversation in an entirely different way. But he guessed, this was about them and nothing about it is entirely predictable and conventional.

"I was hoping the flowers did their magic." He said, smiling tentatively. He expected that she wouldn't react, but to his surprise, she did, the slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. He took it as a sign and moved closer, mere inches separating them. He could smell her perfume, feel her warmth but he did everything he could not to reach out towards her. He knew this talk was something they needed to do if both of them wanted to keep on moving forward.

"It's gonna take more than flowers and you know that." She said, this time, her smile growing bigger. Somehow, a sudden gush of confidence over took him. He touched her arm, sliding his hands until he was caressing her forarm.

"I know, that's why we are going to dinner." He tried again and when he saw she wasn't smiling as much as she used too a few minutes ago, he tried a different route.

"How do I know this time will be different?"

"You won't. But I'm willing to try. I think we owe ourselves that much." He said honestly. He waited for Diane to reply but she took her time. Maybe she was processing what those words meant. Maybe she was thinking of all those instances in the past that lead them to where they are now. He respected her and she did the same. But things like this were far more complicated. They have a company. That was baggage enough. Try to add his infamous bachelor ways and her no none sense attitude and that was something worth thinking about. But Diane knew what Will meant. Somehow, she can feel that this time, they will be wiser. They had tried the no strings attached thing but that somehow that didn't quite work out so well. It took a while for them to get back to where they are now.

"I don't want what happened in the past to happen again Will." She eventually said, looking him straight in the eye. His soft caresses stopped and he nodded. He didn't want that too. This time would be different.

"This time, we will take it slow."


End file.
